I THOUGHT the Citroen C3 I had to test drive was just an ordinary little car until I realised the windscreen went back forever.

I was soon bowling along in this lovely big bubble with loads of light and wrap-around vision, and the countryside looked just great.

This is a really good looking supermini, with lots of chrome work, that punches well above its weight in sophistication.

And inside it is quite stunning. There is lots of high gloss black detail on the dash and doors, which contrasts with brushed chrome on the door handles and steering wheel.

It gives this chic little car a very high-end look – great for showing off in the city.

But it is the panoramic windscreen and roof that really gets the attention.

Push back the inside cover and it seems to go on forever, giving the car a futuristic, space-age look to catch the attention of other drivers at the traffic lights.

The driver’s seat was firm without being stiff and very supportive. Because I am not very tall, I rarely find a default driving position that suits me but I only had to pull this seat forward a couple of notches.

The gearstick was quite short and very positive, which just added to the enjoyment, while the dash controls were clear and easy to use.

The boot was fine for shopping or dropping in the gym gear and the space in the back was enough for lugging around the kids.

And there were lots of little cubby holes and pockets for storage.

Only recently, I had driven another car with the same engine as this one and I had thought it was quite good but steady.

However, in the C3, because there is less weight, my steady engine suddenly became very nippy indeed and I was really impressed.

It drove smoothly on the motorway and manoeuvred fantastically in town.

This latest generation C3 has only been in the UK a few months so you don’t see a lot of them – something that I am sure will soon change.

Like all little French cars, it has that very attractive, gamine quality.

The Exclusive trim is the top of the range and, combined with the e-HDi Airdream engine, you have a very desirable car because with the eco engine you only emit 99g/km of CO2, which means no road tax. Brilliant.

I really pushed this little car to perform and it did not let me down.